Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-08-19
THE RUM POWER.
Prohibition the Only Effective Remedy
for the Terrible Drink
Evil.
From the Toledo Blade.1

We notice an effort being made on
the part of many of the friends of the
rum power in different sections of the
country to weaken the efforts of the
Prohibitionists, and divide their forces,
by bringing up again the matter Of
fighting drunkenness, in place of fig hit
ing the drunkard-makers. It is plain
that this effort is intended simply to di-
vert portion of the attack upon the
saloon into other channels, and thus
weaken the force of the assault. The
first organized efforts made against rum
were spent in trying to save men who
had already become the victims of
drink, and in preventing others from
becoming the prey of the rum devil.
Thousands upon thousands of men,
young and old, signed the pledge. Va
rious temperance organizations were
formed whose membership involved
total abstinence from all intoxicants;
and the churches were brought into line
in the effort to mold public opinion in
favor of personal temperance. To the
sanguine leaders, it seemed entirely
possible to work moral revolution
within the life of one generation, and
redeem the land from the curse of
drink. The saloon was to be abolished
by preventing it from having any GUS
toners.
Nearly two generations have passed
since this effort began, and the army
of drunkards is much greater than it
was then. The saloon has grown in
power and influence, and the liquor in
hoo hon0ron IF tho 1ornoof IN,
the country. Like the tabled upas
tree, the rum power has spread over
the land, laying its clutches on high
and low, and whitening and destroying
all within its deadly influence. The
trouble was that taking the pledge
would not redeem drunkard, nor
would it prevent a man from becoming
one. A man once having fastened upon
him the awful drink thirst can not be
controlled by word nor by written
pledge. Such man would violate it.;
nay, he would violate the most
sacred oath taken before high heaven
in order to satisfy his depraved craving.
He will drink despite all pledges, de-
spite the tears and prayers Of friends,
parents, wife or children, whose hearts
he is breaking, whose lives he is blast
ing by his incompetence. And it was
shown, too, that while the many tenn
perance organizations fourished in re-
spect to members, yet they were MAX
ing no great Roadway against the Bum
habit. Where there was one who en-
rolled himself among their member
ship, there were ninety and nine who
would not be brought within the fold.
It became plain that this plan of deal
ing with the Rum evil was Intellectual.
There was but one other thing to do,
namely, to crush the traffic. If the
weakness of human nature, and the
natural leaning of humanity toward
this vice, were so strong that it was i'm
possible to control them through SIM
Die means, the power of the law must
be invoked, and the arm of the State
stretched forth to check an evil that is
sapping the blood of the nation.
4 hen began IN effort to obtain the pro-
hibition of the manufacture and sale
of Rum in all its forms. The plan was
put upon trial, and is upon trial to-
day, What are the results, SO far as
we have gone?
The first great difficulty has been to
obtain fair trial of the plan. The
rum power knew that prohibition
meant its own downfall. Every effort
was put forth, every nerve was strain
ed to prevent an enactment of the pro-
hibitory legislation. In some cases
this was successful for the time being.
The enactment of such laws has been
defeated in some of the States, but the
agitation still goes on. When fighting
for great moral reform, defeat does
not paralyze effort, but only impels to
still harder work to compass the de-
sired end. And in the States in which
those laws have been enacted,
the struggle has been an I'm